Hiroto (the younger brother of the Amamiya Brothers), had finally found a lead about the shadow organization. It seemed that few of the gangs around the city started to lose land. After contacting a few of those gangs, he discovered that: Zero & One Inc.* Company bought those. Zero & One was a multinational company. Its base was in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney. It used to be a drug company, but slowly it evolved. It opened many factories in China and controlled a large stock of the market there.

But Hiroto couldn't dig deeper.

He informed Sawada. As a lawyer, Shin had access to more databases. Shin with Noboru, looked for more information. They only came to the conclusion that: One of the leading members of Zero & One wanted to extend the business in Japan. Those were the plans for two years ago. Around that timeline, there had not been any plans announced. But the company was getting ready to open a new office in Tokyo. But nothing was finalized yet. The general meeting would be held soon.

Later the same day, Yamato and Chiharu reached the Itokan Diner. Cobra, Dan, Tettsu and few more of the Hoodlum Squad members were already sitting and having a drink against the red leather sofa of Itokan Diner. They were discussing the new clues (that Takeru, Shin, and Noboru found).

"I'm sorry this is abrupt, but I'm asking we stand and do nothing?" Chiharu asked. He was always like that. He thought Hoodlum Squad was strong enough to deal with anyone if needed.

Cobra uncross his legs and leaned his upper body forward, as the news got more than his attention. "It isn't a big deal, we can take them down anytime! The problem is we don't know who we are facing," he explained.

"Then?" Chiharu wanted to know the reason.

"This matter has no relationship with Hoodlum Squad only. It has to do with SWORD, The Oedo, even with the Amamiya Brothers. Also, we don't know who we are facing. The Company, or some individual." he said.

"Therefore we cannot go after the company." added Yamato "If it wasn't their plan it could cause a bigger problem".

Everyone agreed. They still didn't have the important information that they needed.

---

Meanwhile at Shin's Parents' house.

Natsumi (Shin's younger sister) and her husband Hayato (Kumiko's student) had arrived in Tokyo. With them come their daughter Kyoko and her closed friend Rika. They agreed to stay longer this time with all the chaos that was going on. Sawada's household was left to Natsumi. Their parents and Shin agreed that Natsumi should take the house. Since she was living abroad, it was still accessible by Shin's family and their parents.

Kira went to gather all the stuff she had lately left all over the house. Natsumi, let her keep Shin's room. If she wanted to stay over some time. (But mostly because she knew she needed a place to hide anything that her parents shouldn't see.) That didn't mean though that her secrets would be safe there. (Not with Kyoko and Rika around.)

Kyoko was Kira's cousin. They were really close, especially the years where Kira was living in New York. She was a very clever girl. Thankfully she got the brains from Natsumi and the looks from Hayato. A very great combination. A smart, beautiful girl. Her only weaknesses were sweets and Ramen. And that gave her extra Kilos. She was a chubby girl (a very chubby one).

On the other hand, her friend Rika wasn't that smart. She seemed close to a normal girl. She was pretty enough, and with a normal IQ. Though her personality was mean. That girl could be a real bit** if needed. She always took what she wanted. And honestly, she didn't care if she would break any rules, or lose any friendships.

Kira loved her cousin very much. There was the time she found her annoying. There were times they had fought a lot. But those two liked each other. And sometimes Kira was jealous of Kyoko. She was smarter than her and prettier. Kira never counted the extra weight her cousin owned.

But Kira never liked Rika. She was only talking to her as a favor to Kyoko. That girl was too much for her. Stepping on anything to get what she wanted. It didn't make sense to Kira. She had noticed many times Rika to grab other people's belongings, just because she wanted. If it was friends, or Boyfriends, or dreams. That girl would rip it off, take it, enjoy it and then throw it away.

Though these days Kira wasn't her old self anymore. Since what had happened to Yusuke's wife and Yuki, she became more serious. Things that used to bother her, she didn't even think about those. Her heart was still in pain, and she had no idea how to overcome such a loss. Maybe Cobra managed to help her a lot to live her life, but her inside was still burning.

"Kyoko, you cannot come with me. Especially these days, it's dangerous." Kira clarified.

Her cousin and Rika wanted to go with her to the Sannoh district. Kira made the mistake months ago, (when she was on her careless happy self) to inform Kyoko about her neverland. She had described that place in the most dreamy way. And that got Rika's attention. (Since Kyoko had notified Rika from every small detail that she had learned by Kira.) That made the mean girl so jealous. Rika wanted to visit that place and special meet Cobra. Only the way Kira had described him made it worthy to have a closer look.

"But Rika will come with us. Please Kira." the girl with the short cruel hair, the hazel eyes asked many times.

"After all you will be with us. Weren't you lately so full of your fighting skills?" Rika with the long red hair and the green eyes mocked her.

Kira sighed. She was not really in the mood to deal with any girly drama at that moment. She only wanted to clean the house as promised. Then she had to take a few documents (that Shin gave her) to bring to Cobra. And she was only doing that because Cobra insisted for her to bring it.

"Lately we are dealing with serious attacks. Fighting will not help at all." Kira explained, "As for me being so sure about my fighting skills it was a mistake."

Kyoko had noticed Kira's change. She wasn't cheering about her neverland. She wasn't even bad-mouthing Rika. She mostly looked like a different person. Neither sweet, neither reckless. "Kira now I have one more reason to follow you. You seemed so different, I am worried."

"We know the name we can found the place easy. You can either take us with you or we can find it." Rika said smirking. She loved to piss Kira. (Oh! Did she enjoy to see her mad expression.)

After a long talk. (That wouldn't end ever.) Kira had to agree. First, because they never stop talking until she said yes. And Secondly having them walking around the Sannoh district was dangerous. So, there they were all three getting ready to leave for the Sannoh district.

---

Somewhere at the Zero & One New Office

Sawada, Kuroda-san, Yabuki, and Kohaku arrange a meeting with the Zero & One Company. They couldn't wait, or forget what had happened days ago. It would be different if it was a random attack. But having to call a hit above innocent people made the matter more severe. Oedo family was already on the move. Tetsu, Minoru and the rest were slowly fighting back. Small, and random incidents were taken care of. Things become tougher, and whoever was messing around the Oedo was slowly backing off. But still, they wanted to know who was behind.

They had a very long talk with the company's leaders. If they didn't get all the answers they wanted they wouldn't leave. In this crucial matter, Kuroda-san was the first one to talk.

"We have demanded this meeting with you, not out curiosity!" he voiced up when the secretary judged their touch request to have these meetings.

"There's happening a lot those last months. And the only lead we finally come from Zero & One." Sawada rose his voice "And you want to tell me you have nothing to do with this."

The CEO of Zero & One couldn't escape this time. He asked the secretary and the others to leave. Only he and the board president stayed. "Kuroda-san honestly we are sorry for your lost. We cannot deny that our company bought land lately around your city. We cannot also hide that one of our employees causes all the damage." he defined.

Kuroda-san remained calm "Who was the employee?!"

"His name is Otome Sayji. He worked in our company for years. He was the one who managed all our transactions in China. He was a loyal member. Our company trusted Sayji more than anyone. We never knew what means he used to start our transactions with Japan." the board president pointed out.

Yabuki glared at him "You people didn't know but you paid for everything he needed."

Shin signal Yabuki to calm down. They were there for information, they didn't want to piss them off. At least not until they found out the whole story. "And you kept supporting him economically until the previous day. You surely knew that not all the deals were legal?" Shin said.

"Let's be honest here. Of course, we know that among the many transactions will be some illegal acts. But we never knew he was here taking revenge. He wasn't just buying land. We paid for everything. But it was only a few days ago that we found out the truth." the CEO responded.

"And that's only because we came in contact with you. Otherwise, you would never look into it." Kohaku noted. He personally had called them about the problem. He even ended up threatening them, so they would look into it.

"Revenge?! What kind of revenge would you employ want with us?" Shin asked.

The CEO sighed, he knew he couldn't hide the truth. He had to expose everything. "We found out two years ago Sayji's brother died. He lost his life at a battle the took place between SWORD and Kuryu Group. Sayji looked into the incident and he found out SWORD was responsible for his death. He swore he would take everyone down. And take personal revenge." he revealed.

"Then it was personal. And what was his aim of causing innocent peoples death?" Yabuki asked. Although he didn't wait for answers. The CEO had already told them more than they expected.

"I don't think he was aiming for your daughter-in-Law Kuroda-san. It was an accident that they were hit. His plans were SWORD and specially Sannoh Rengokai's Leader. I believe it was just a mistake. I'm really sorry we didn't look into that sooner. But we never expected such an outcome." the CEO added.

Kuroda-san stood up. "You and your people have caused a bigger tragedy than you think. It's not only about the death of someone close to me. You have caused an entire city's yakuza world almost to fall. You let one employee of yours release chaos, just because you were able to cover his expenses. You ruined people, being sorry will not fix anything. Return the land you bought, to the owners. If the owners still want to sell, then keep it. And next time you do any "business" check what you are paying to do." he voiced and stepped out.

"Of course I'll sue you for any illegal act, I can. So, we'll meet again. Also, we will talk about the land you bought." Shin said and followed Kuroda-san. The same did Yabuki and Kohaku.

Before entering the elevator Kuroda-san had noticed "If they didn't aim for Yusuke wife and Yuki?"

"Kira and Cobra were out that night!" Shin remembered.

"What you think, that Sayji guy wanted to kill Kira?" Yabuki asked.

"Maybe not Kira. He was aiming for Cobra!" Kohaku figured.

Kuroda-san faced Shin "Call them and let them know. They may be in danger."

"I'll. But I'll not tell Kira. She was already through enough." Shin said as they went into the elevator.

"Were is Kira?" Kuroda-san asked, worried.

"She is with Natsumi and the girls. She wanted to help them clean." Yabuki noted.

Shin shook his head "No, I gave her the documents. She would bring them to Cobra! Damn!"

"Let's go to Sannoh district now!" Kohaku yelled.

---

Same time SWORD was busy with their later problems.

The White Rascals opened club Heaven. They managed to clear the false accusations. Rocky couldn't leave that place closed. He was providing work and a place for all those women. There he also came across the name Otome Sayji. Kohaku called him and informed him about everything. He also told him that they were heading to the Sannoh region. Rocky agreed to informed the rest of the SWORD. Then he and the main members of White Rascals would join them. If there was someone aiming to hurt the "S" and its leader, they would answer back.

Takeshi got also informed. The rude boys spend long hours searching about the illegal drug factories that were opened (around the nameless city). He found out that the factories were controlled by Sayji and not Zero & One. Of course, they didn't let any of those factories running in their grounds. One after the other was closed, but they didn't find Sayji anywhere. Rude Boys were on the way also at Sannoh Rengokai.

Daruma Ikka, had also their issues to solve. They helped most of the gangs that were hit. They also helped the Iemura. Destroying yakuza clans like that would cause serious issues. The Yakuza world had also its own laws. Of course, there were clans that were into illegal transactions. And the Daruma didn't support that. But they were dealing with those. Not by destroying completely the balance and killing people. As long as those issues were set. The Daruma Ikka answered. They were going to meet the others at Hoodlum Squad.

Last but not least Oya High, managed to prevent the school from closing. It wasn't surprising, Otome Sayji was behind that. Murayama was already on his way to Sannoh district when Rocky informed him. Masaki and Hiroto were lastly contacted by Murayama.

---

At Itokan diner meanwhile...

Yamato, Naomi, and Cobra were the only ones left at the diner. The rest were hanging around the area. Cobra waited for Kira. She was supposed to bring him those contracts that Shin (and the others) had found. It had to do with Sannoh district owners. They were told (mostly threaten) to sell their shops. He wanted to have a closer look, and prevent anything worse to happen.

A tapping sound against the table (where Cobra was sitting) caught his eye. Kira had just dashed in. She waved at Yamato and Naomi a fast hello. Next, she sat next to Cobra, placing the folder with the documents on his side of the table. "You needed those?" she said. She was well dressed as always. But her aura had completely changed. No more reckless yells or fearless expressions.

Cobra nodded and opened the folder. He wasn't able to look at the first contact when two new faces appeared and joined them. He lifted his gaze up only to meet a chubby and a redhead girl sitting across. He rolled his eyes, and looked at Kira "Explain?" he said as he exhaled.

Kira sighed. These were one of the few times she didn't want to cause any problems. "Kyoko, my cousin. And Rika her friend," she said weightily.

"Not what I mean. why are they here?" Cobra whispered.

"They wanted to see Sannoh District," she said with an annoyed tone.

Rika giggled, leaning lower at the table. "Not really, we wanted to meet you. Especially I wanted," she spoke with a y tone.

Cobra had more concerns. He was reading the contract and didn't pay much attention to them. If it was before the "accident", he would surely curse Kira about that. "Is that so!" he only added, totally ignoring her.

"Alright, you saw the area. You met Cobra. Now let's go back!" Kira half ordered them.

Kyoko agreed "But you will come with us!"

"Yes. I'm taking you home. Nothing is saved these days." Kira said. She would never let Kyoko (or even Rika) return alone. It could be dangerous.

"You can go. I want to talk more with Cobra. We just met!" Rika insisted, making Kira a bit pissed.

Cobra only glanced at Rika, as his mobile rang. Sawada personally called him. He notified him about everything. About the Zero & One actions. About Otome Sayji. His revenge. Cobra's gaze became darker. Kira noticed the change. As well as that the person calling was her father.

"Did they find anything?" Kira asked as Cobra ended the call.

"They found out." he only revealed. He knew now that he was the target. It was something he had to deal with. Cobra would not drag anyone with him.

Kira turned and faced him "Tell me what did they discovered?"

But Cobra didn't agree. "Not today. Take the girls and go!" he voiced serious.

"I didn't plan to stay. But I want to know!" Kira loudly asked. Truly she didn't want to bother Cobra (in any way.) But she needed to know who was behind it.

"Leave!" Cobra voiced once more and stood up.

Suddenly, the door opened and Noboru ran in. "We have problems!" he notified him.

Cobra and Yamato walked over "Oi! What happened."

"Something big occurred. Come on!" he said.

Cobra walked back at Kira and grabbed her arm, lifting her up. "Stay here! Don't you dare follow me!" he wildly ordered. "Naomi close the store. You all stay here," he added. If they were aiming for him, he would never allow Kira close to him.

He, Yamato and Noboru left. They run at the begin of the Sannoh main street. Where the utter confusion obstacle was waiting. Naomi was about to lock the door. But Kira by-passed her, to follow Cobra. Naomi grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Where are you going?" Rika asked. But was ignored.

"Kira I cannot let you follow." Naomi sincerely told her.

Though Kira pushed Naomi's grip of her arm. "Naomi, I have to go! Please!" she announced.

"You know how dangerous it is." Naomi said.

"Exactly. I have to be there. I cannot let anyone get hurt." she sadly spelled out.

Naomi, who also had noticed Kira's change, opened the door. She let her pass. If it was the Kira she knew a few days ago. She wouldn't let that troublemaker out. Naomi knew that Kira was asking for. And maybe helping in a way could soften her pain. Indeed it was dangerous. But having Kira sadden like that was more unbearable than seen her wounded.

"Go! I'll keep an eye on the girls." Naomi said. After Kira left, Naomi locked the door behind her.

Everything was now ready to be flared up, in the worse way possible. The relentless encounter with the shadow source that was ripping everyone those last months up. Was about to hit its zenith...

---

(( upcoming chapter ~ Act 22 ~ ))

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Note:

Zero & One Inc. The name of the company is fiction. If has nothing to do with any real company with the same name.